Sick and TIRED (literally)

I have been having sleep/pain issues for 10 years. It seems that no one really knows what is going on with me but they label it fibromyalgia. I've had tons of blood work done that didn't find anything too significant (slight hypothyroidism that is being treated, some vitamin deficiencies that have been corrected, blood sugar issues which I'm supposed to be working on through diet and exercise).

I also had a sleep study done in 2007. It showed that even in deeper sleep, I had awake-like brain waves that intruded . This happened hundreds of times during the night. Most were what they labeled "spontaneous arousals", as in they were not due to sleep apnea or restless legs. They said it seemed like chronic insomnia. No real suggestions were given on how to overcome this.

I also have pain. Not all the time but a lot. Especially in my calves, hands, arms, wrists, back. Since the sleep study, my sleep has also gotten worse. I am concious of being awake a lot. And the one thing that has happened everyday for 10 years is that I wake up not refreshed. I feel so exhausted that it is hard for me to get to work. Its a terrible fatigue and almost like a slow burn in my arms and legs.

Does this sound like fibro or some other chronic illness that Dr's are not finding? Is there anything else I should be getting tested for? I'm having a 2nd sleep study next month.

I have a theory that maybe anti depressant use since age 13 casued something to become mis wired in my brain and this is the result. I began on SSRI's so young due to severe OCD. They worked wonders for this but I do wonder the effect of such strong medications on a developing brain.

I am on Cymbalta 120 mg which works well for depression, but hasn't helped my aches or fatigue. Provigil/Nuvigil helped but the side effects were bad. I've tried Melatonin, Trazodone, Chinese Herbs, Acupuncture, Gluten Free Diet....nothing has made me feel less tired and achy. I also saw a naturopathic Dr. in town who is known for treating fibro. She had me on a ton of supplements that didn't do much. She also suggested the gluten free diet, which did not help.

Sorry to hear about all of your problems. I suffered from sleep problems, fatigue and brain fog for years. I had a sleep study which showed nothing but mild snoring and lots of spontaneous arousals. I convinced the sleep tech to loan me a cpap machine and mask for a one week trial. I felt much better so I knew I had a sleep breathing disorder. I requested another sleep study at a different sleep center - the study showed lots of spontaneous arousals and said my sleep was normal. I contacted a prominent sleep apnea surgeon on the internet who suggested I get my study done at Stanford Sleep Disorders clinic in Redwood City, CA as they score respiratory events more aggressively and have very sophisticated testing equipment. My study there - surprise - showed that I had obstructive sleep apnea and many flow limitations which disrupted my sleep. I am now on auto bipap and am feeling better. Moral of the story is - the test itself may be wrong, go to Stanford as they are THE best sleep clinic!